This thread has been created to hold comments about a GO shutdown that have been accumulating in the Eglinton Station thread.
All such comments will be moved here.
Steve Munro
Transit & Politics
This thread has been created to hold comments about a GO shutdown that have been accumulating in the Eglinton Station thread.
All such comments will be moved here.
Steve Munro 
As an aside, GO Transit will be shutting down the Lakeshore West line at the end of the month to allow the replacement of the Dufferin bridge.
They have confirmed 5 added Milton line trips as well as additional bus service on the QEW. (This is the the original article mentioning the closure.)
I was hoping to see them use the CP rail line to bypass the closure and keep trains operating…or anticipating they would shut down train service between Port Credit and Union but that isn’t happening.
Cheers, Moaz
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Moaz Yusuf Ahmad wrote:
Are you saying you were thinking of a detour from the lakeshore, via the Canpa sub?
Aside from getting the necessary track time on CP’s tracks, there would have to be a pilot (a person familiar with the subdivision, but not actually operating the locomotive) on board for travelling on subdivisions that the lakeshore crew is not trained on. I wouldn’t be surprised that many runs would need two pilots because the number of people familiar with both the Canpa and Galt subs are likely few and far between.
I suspect the logistics of this make it a non-starter.
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I don’t doubt that it would be challenging (especially at outset with Bombardier crews and CPR tracks) but I had thought that Metrolinx and GO Transit would try to keep the frequent & regular service going because it is an important thing. Also, it would have simply been interesting to see a GO train crossing Evans Avenue.
Failing that, I had thought they would turn trains back at Port Credit (since Long Branch is not accessible … not sure about Mimico) … but I didn’t think they would shut down the entire line.
And saying that 5 trains on the Milton line is acceptable because most Milton line stations are not far from Lakeshore West is hardly accurate. Only Kipling, Dixie and Cooksville on the Milton have easy transit access to the Lakeshore West, and everything west of Erindale would require multiple buses or driving.
In any case … I sincerely hope that the service cut isn’t going to be a huge inconvenience.
Cheers, Moaz
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As someone who lives close to Appleby, I figure it will be a huge inconvenience (imo) for a lot of folks at the start of Christmas shopping season. There will be a substantial increase in traffic on the QEW/Gardiner as a result. The Lakeshore has substantial construction and lane reductions from Lakeview through Mimico currently so old Hwy 2 won’t be a good alternate either. Anyone heard what VIA plans to do?
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VIA will be diverting their Toronto-London-Windsor trains that weekend, skipping Oakville but stopping at Aldershot and warn of a 30-60 minute delay. I suspect they will be going via the Weston and Halton Subs (through Weston, Brampton, Georgetown and Milton). Worth checking out for some rare mileage.
I get why GO can’t divert via CP Galt/Canpa, but offering no alternative bus service from Oakville and Burlington is shameful. I laugh when they suggest that the 3-hour Milton service is a real alternative to the 30/60 minute train and that most Milton Line stations are close to LSW stations, especially without a car.
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@Mike
Not sure if this has been brought up before, but while I was booking a trip between Toronto and London with Via, a message popped up saying trains using that stretch of track will be detoured between Aldershot and Union. Oakville Station will have no service for the weekend. No mention of what route they are using, but it says the detour could take 40-60 minutes.
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My thoughts exactly Sean. I sent VIA a message and all they said was Oakville will not be served but otherwise normal, not mentioning the possible detour scenario. I also checked Amtrak’s site re the Maple Leaf during that period and other than saying it was “sold out” likely due to U.S. Thanksgiving traffic, it mentioned nothing of a possible delay.
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It will be interesting for sure to see how VIA services their trains on those days since the TMC yard in Mimico will be isolated and how the equipment will be turned. Perhaps they will have to run a unit on each end and fuel them from a truck at Union.
For rail enthusiasts, it might be a good chance to photograph some rare mileage stuff like on the Halton sub.
Since some of the trains from Western Ontario have their equipment run through to Mtl after a change of train numbers, the delays might be felt all down the line.
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Mimico GO station is not accessible.
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Mike Lindsay said:
I don’t know what they plan for servicing trains, but turning them could be done by running them up the Bala sub to Doncaster where a wye still exists.
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If 3 hour service is possible on the Milton line, they should be running that every weekend (even when Lake Shore is open)
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The Amtrak Maple Leaf (which is operated by VIA between Niagara Falls and Toronto) will terminate at Oakville, with busitution between Oakville and Toronto. That train can be wyed at the Clarkson refinery spur and stored overnight at a yard near the Ford plant. I wonder if the busitution to Oakville will be required on Monday morning as well.
VIA’s Canadian is the only train that might have some problems as it does normally go to Toronto Maintenance Centre for servicing. It isn’t wyed (the wye at TMC at Mimico is too short), but takes a clockwise loop south via the Bala and north via the Newmarket and York Subs (and backs in from Mimico to Union). There’s a train from Vancouver scheduled to arrive Saturday morning at 9:30 (though it is often 1-3 hours late) and depart that evening at 22:00. I wonder if the servicing can be done at Union Station itself (like it does at Winnipeg, Edmonton and elsewhere), though re-fueling might be interesting.
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@ Jeff:
I’m sure the weekend service on the Milton Line was probably negotiated ahead of time, and probably not willingly on the part of CP. Although the bus service is already every 15 minutes on Saturdays and 20 minutes on Sundays and Holidays. I don’t know at what point they’d start looking at rail service. Granted not ALL trips are packed, but when there are events downtown (at least during daylight hours when the service is that frequent) the buses wind up leaving full.
Given time, I’m sure the service will be full enough to warrant train service. Probably for a limited time during the day similar to weekday rail service. Aside from increasing service to 10 minutes, rail service would be the next logical progression in service, granted the rail service would probably drop the frequency to hourly or optimistically 30 minutes and would need to be two-way as well.
I’m not sure if I’d be willing to trade essentially turn-up-and-go service for rail service that I’d have to plan around.
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I was thinking that the Sunday closure may be the day the NFL Buffalo Bills are playing at Rogers Centre. I have a feeling a lot of folks who use GO once or twice a year are going to be showing up like normal and then finding they will have to drive. QEW will be a zoo
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Yes this is that weekend. Didn’t GO used to run some special trains for this weekend? I guess that they are trying to protect the CFL from any inroads by the NFL. As I am in Europe I will miss the Grey Cup game but I believe the Ticats are in it so Oskee Wee Wee Oskee Waa Waa come on Ticats eat ’em raw raw.
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I don’t undestand why they can’t run a shuttle service from Long Branch or Mimico to Aldershot ? Also using the Canpa to get aound Dufferin bridge would work, but it would be slow. I’m also sure that the decision not to do this was made in Florida by CPRail’s CEO . If it’s not a profitable enough move, then forget it. A yard pilot would be all that’s required for the engineer only. The pilot could ride back and forth all day long during his shift, big deal .
But also, the Canpa is not signaled and that I would think is not safe for planned passenger service . The train must be able to stop at any kind of railway related obstuction, so the train may travel up to max 15mph if visability is good and be prepared to stop .
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